Her Three Entrepreneurs [The Hot Millionaires #8] by Zara Chase Page A

her mother to put in an appearance.
    “What are you doing here, Molly?” Athena never referred to her absentee mother any other way.
    “I might ask you the same question,” she said, her eyes lingering with undisguised interest, and a little wariness, on Bay.
    With no choice open to her, Athena was about to introduce them, but Bay took control of the situation. That shouldn’t really have surprised her.
    “Hi,” he said, holding out a hand. “I’m Bay Marshall. I’ve been hired as protection for Athena until her grandfather recovers. I take it you’re her mother.”
    “Yes, I’m Molly Lloyd.” She thrust out her hand, clearly still assessing Bay, her eyes darting between him and Athena. “And I look upon Athena as more of a sister.”
    Probably because you’ve never been a mother to me.
    “Pleased to meet you.” Bay shook her hand. “And your timing couldn’t be better. I’m about to take Athena into town to see her grandfather. If you want to help, you could hold the fort here.”
    “Oh, but I can take her. You’d be better off staying here and warding off further attackers. I’d like to see my father for myself.”
    “Sorry, my brief is to guard Athena, not the property. Besides, Mr. Lloyd is in intensive care and only permitted one visitor.”
    That his one visitor could only be Athena went unsaid.
    “How is he?” Molly asked. “What happened here anyway? Who broke in?” She glanced around, clearly in a highly agitated state. Athena had never seen her express so much concern for her father before, but then he’d never been clobbered hard enough to fracture his skull before either. Perhaps she did feel something for someone other than herself after all. “I assume it was just a burglary that went wrong. Well, it must have been,” she continued without waiting for a response. “What other reason could there possibly be?”
    “We don’t know yet,” Athena said.
    “But the police must have some idea. No one’s safe anywhere nowadays, not even in the country.” She tutted. “I was so worried. You have no idea.”
    “We really ought to make a move,” Bay said.
    “All right, but you’ll be back soon, won’t you?” Molly put on such a good act as the caring mother that even Athena was almost fooled by it. “I was so worried about my baby that I dropped everything and came right on over as soon as I heard.”
    But why? And why wasn’t she flirting with Bay? Usually she was like a dog with a bone when a man took her fancy. She would have had to be blind not to appreciate Bay’s attributes, especially when he turned on the charm, as he’d done with Molly as soon as she stepped into the kitchen. Athena frowned. Could it be that Molly really was so worried about her dad that she had changed the habits of a lifetime?
    “I take it you know how the farm runs,” he said to Molly with an easy smile. “What with having been brought up here.”
    “Oh yes, but George and Max don’t really need to be told what to do.”
    “Nevertheless, I’m sure they’ll appreciate your being here. A friendly face in times of crisis is always welcome.”
    Athena suspected that her mother, who never pleased anyone except herself, would now do precisely as Bay asked. How that would help them she had yet to conjecture, but she had to admit that it was nice to have someone else take control for a change.
    Bay poured Molly coffee and asked her if she would like some breakfast.
    “Not that,” her mother said, turning up her pert little nose at the remnants of Athena’s fry-up, making her feel like a pig for having devoured it. “I never eat fried food.”
    “That’s why you stay so slim, I guess,” Bay said, winking at her.
    Athena simmered at this exchange. Had Bay taken a personal interest in Molly? She could only be a few years older than Bay and, unlike Athena, always took care of her herself. Even at this ungodly hour, she wore full war paint and tight-fitting clothes that showed off her trim